Tagged: fail

So yeah, I’ve actually been slack in bloging some of the stuff I’ve been up to (eh Sean 😉 ).

Started HONDUH the other day to find it severely down on power. With close to 200hp on tap, any power drop is quite noticable. A quick check under the bonnet led to the dreaded ‘knock’ noise. Have been pretty much expecting a rebuild for a while, but those Hondas just tend to carry on fighting. Saw this as a good chance to upgrade some of the weak links and get photos of various goodies already onboard.

Here’s how the setup looked at the start.

The teardown progressed pretty well. The engine has only been in there for roughly 25,000kms so nothing was difficult to remove. Just before we dropped the engine out, one part of the engine just didn’t look right …

The exhaust cam (left side) looked to be out of line, further inspection showed the culprit.

From the quick research I’ve done, it appears a few other people have had this problem with the Skunk2 Pro-Series adjustable cam gears. Whether the adjustment bolts were overtightened, or the cam gears are just too lightweight for the punishment they can get, who knows. I just know I’ll be replacing them with a chunkier set for the rebuild! Luckily the gear stayed connected to the camshaft (somehow) and didn’t slip either.

The engine is being striped down by Rick (a local legend engine builder) at the mo, and should know the potential damage soon. Meanwhile, the cleanup of associated parts and fitting of new bits will continue to keep me occupied.